As You Wish
by gabbicav
Summary: This is a story of love, loss, hate, fighting, revenge, big hearts, big mistakes, really manipulative men, but also some really good men, particularly clever women, escape, capture, rescue, deceit, sentient lions, space travel, honesty, hope, and a little magic. The good parts, anyway.
1. The Princess

_Chapter 1: The Princess_

"Farm boy?" Allura swept into the barn. A gentle breeze chased her, sweet from the _afal_ orchard, and danced with the tails of her long, snowy tresses.

"Oh – hi," he called over his shoulder, pink dusting the tips of his stunted ears. "I'll be right with you."

She leant against the wall, bit her bottom lip to stifle her amusement, but her eyes told of mischief. He had a name. She just liked the way he blushed when she called him farm boy.

He hauled the last bale on top of the others, then wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"Did you need something, Princess?"

She lifted her eyebrows, allowing a hint of merriment to escape. "I've asked you not to call me that."

He smiled, walking the line between friendliness and formality. "And I've asked you not to call me 'farm boy'."

"Yes, but you _are _a farm boy. I am not a princess," she insisted logically.

He huffed a quiet laugh to himself, gaze lowered.

She eyed him suspiciously, but let the matter settle between them. Was he a boy or man where he came from? He was certainly as tall as a man, but it was difficult to judge on that alone, for there was an air of hope about him that only survived adolescence in the rarest of people. His work clothes hung loose over pale skin and slim muscles; neat, basic things, passed down by a previous farm hand she supposed. Her eyes drifted, as they often did, to the cheekbones where his markings would have been, were he Altean.

There were many aliens living and working in the Quabyssian colonies, none of which bore markings. It was strange she kept being taken by his lack of them.

"Forgive me. I will remember, next time," he promised.

The quiet, wistful words sent a jolt through her and she met his eye a little too quickly. "Do you have trouble remembering...things?" she faltered. Her gaze lingered on his delicate tilted lids shielding eyes the colour of a clear sky in the quiet time between midnight and pre-dawn, and singular pupils as dark and infinite as the depths of space. Was it _possible_…?

"Sometimes," the small, pleasant smile was back, this time offered to the bales with a tiny shrug. "If I'm distracted."

"Of course," and _she_ remembered she hadn't merely turned up to watch him blush and catalogue their differences. He was talking about something else. "I need you to polish my saddle and ready my _ceffyl _now. I'm taking my ride early today."

He gave her a nod and another pretty half-smile.

"As you wish."

He pushed off the bales, brushed his hands off on his drab, green-grey work trousers, and left to see to her demand. Just like that.

Allura frowned as she watched him go, then returned to the house for lunch, her mind still on the quandary. Perhaps humans were traditionally subservient? It was said they knew little of the stars before the Galra brought order and civility to their sector of the universe. He completed his duties quickly, efficiently, without needless question or complaint - but with enough autonomy to make the right call on his own when required. He spoke with respect and kindness, friendliness even. He let her tease him and call him 'boy', and his smiles were always so soft and real and…then he would return to work, and leave her wanting.

She squirmed as she sat at the round table set for one by the window overlooking the orchard. She stared at the centrepiece; a lone _aeron_ flower in a tiny white vase, and watched as one of the petals drooped and clicked off, drifting to rest; a fragile yellow bell-shape on the lace tablecloth.

Glancing down to her meal in haste, she suddenly felt uncomfortable by the way she ordered him about, and resolved to _try _call him by his name and say _please _and _thank you_, next time she saw him.

True to form, her _ceffyl, _Kara, was ready and her saddle gleamed, catching the midday sun as Allura approached the holding yard.

Joy welled within her and she bit her bottom lip lest it burst out as a laugh, eyes tracking _him_ as he led her tall, black mare by the bridle around the warm-up pen. The pair cut an impressive figure. His hair was as dark and thick as the mare's coat with that too-long forelock flopped over his forehead, half obscuring his eyes, just like the _ceffyl's_ was. She followed the shapes made by his mouth as it moved, but distance kept his noises from her ears.

Allura drew closer but he saw her, and for a tick their eyes met and his shoulders tensed – then his cheeks and ears turned that familiar pink, and he looked down and chuckled to his boots, caught out.

She rolled her eyes and strode into the dusty yard, annoyed she might never know if he'd been speaking secrets or singing songs.

"I trust you haven't worn my _ceffyl_ out, farm boy," she took the reigns and palmed him her saddlebag, lifting a calming hand to Kara's nose in greeting.

"It's Takashi," he reminded her, scrunching his nose as he tied the bag to the back of the saddle. "And I haven't – she's just looking forward to running away with you," the corner of his mouth rose and Allura caught mirth in his eyes.

She wondered why her heart thudded so loudly as she returned his gaze. "But Takashi," she made herself say it, because she had promised she would, "I am not running away."

His smile widened and he took a step back. "Perhaps then, she missed you," he offered his right hand.

Allura mused over this newness to their routine, eyes flickering to his fingers. Takashi had readied her _ceffyl_ hundreds of times since she had known him, but he had only begun lingering like this for the past movement.

It was nice, she decided. He was nice. She liked his hands. _Help_, she liked his help. That's what he was, her helping…hand.

_Quiznak_.

"May I?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, placed her hand on top of his, then took hold of the saddle and put the toe of her boot in a stirrup.

With an exhilarating _whoosh _that caught in her throat, Takashi helped her up, other hand steadying her hip as she swung over.

She settled and he stepped back, hands respectfully folded behind him. She fussed with her riding coat as she commanded her cheeks to cool, but the gentle strength lingering beneath those loose, perfunctory work clothes never failed to surprise her.

Lifting her chin, eyes forward, she managed, "Thank you for your assistance," with a nervous swallow.

"No problem," he returned easily.

She clicked her _ceffyl_ into a walk and circled the yard. This was usually where they parted.

As Allura turned Kara about, she caught sight of his wide shoulders hidden under the cream-coloured material, and those strong, gentle hands, fingers curling around the metal lock as he lifted it and opened the gate for her.

Allura glanced down to where her hands gripped the reigns, eyes widening.

She had to leave before she made a fool of herself. Yes he was pretty to look at, particularly when his ears turned pink and his smiles reached his eyes, and _yes _he was helpful, but he was a member of her _staff_.

A kind, friendly member of her staff whose company she sought out frequently under the pretence of work.

She found herself circling the yard a second time.

"Do you know of the Glaswelltog wilds to the west, Takashi?" feigning idleness, she kept her eyes on the reigns as she adjusted the strap.

He burst out laughing. "No," he admitted. "No, I've never heard of them."

The unexpected reaction made her look up; her stomach tightened. "Well then," she stammered.

"Sorry – I mean," he offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sure they're great. I don't really get out that much."

"That won't do," she conceded softly, eyes bright with determination. "Do you ride?" she asked, before she could convince herself to _just go_.

"I can – but there's work to do-"

"There is to be a meteor shower about a varga after sunset," she cut him off. "The view from the Wyvandir plateau should be quite stunning, if you wish to accompany me. Unless you would rather stay here and shovel hay for the _mochyn_," she challenged with a too-sweet smile.

His eyes widened; teeth caught his bottom lip and she saw his hand tense where it rest on the gate – a tether, holding him in place. He seemed suddenly paler, and Allura _knew _she had overstepped a boundary, but she wasn't _entirely _sure why and...

She found she truly wanted him to say yes, wanted to watch it with him; watch his eyes light up with wonder as space dust scattered and burnt out across an indigo sky.

"Ride with you?" he confirmed quietly. "To…to look at the stars?"

She shuffled forward before she could lose her nerve and patted the saddle behind her. "Come with me," she encouraged, ignoring a treasonous lump in her throat. "It seems wrong that you have lived on Quabyss for almost a deca-phoeb but have seen so little of its beauty."

He cleared his throat and released the fence. "I wouldn't say that's exactly true..."

"It is not an order," she watched him approach.

"I know," he met her eyes quickly, smile full of caution, and...hope.

There was that youthful hope again.

She drew a sharp breath, and that was the moment she realised. She forgot how to exhale, focussed on more pressing, blindingly obvious matters she should have untangled sooner.

It was hope for - for _her_. But more than hope, it was _love_. He loved her. He'd told her with everything but the words; with quiet laughs and soft smiles, with kind, shy glances, with unwavering assistance and gentle touches. The love was so plainly writ on him she wondered how it took her so long to understand that the hope in him was fixed and shining on her.

"Mm," she articulated, slipping a boot out of the stirrup so he could use it to climb up.

"Should I just...?" he was beside her, an endearing uncertainty his sudden ally.

Allura nodded, eyes fixed on his fingers as they gripped the curve of the saddle. Soon those hands would hold her as they chased the sun and climbed the purpled plateaus, crossing fields of fragrant _meillion_ blossoms and wild, tangled _rhostir_.

"Don't make me wait any longer, Takashi," she whispered.

Now she had started calling him by his name, it seemed she couldn't stop.

"As you wish."

And there were _those _words again, sending a pang of longing through her, and she understood he _had _told her he loved her, every day when he spoke those words. He must have told her hundreds of times, and she had never understood.

Even more surprising was the acknowledgment that she had feelings for him. She leaned sideways to counter-balance, closing her eyes as the weight of his warmth settled against her back.

Kara snorted in protest, and the sound reminded Allura to open her eyes and act normally. "Whoa, girl," she soothed.

"Um," he said softly, and she could feel his breath by her ear. "Are you sure about this?"

"Kara is strong; she can bear us both," she hesitated in the act of glancing over her shoulder, realising how close to his mouth she would be. Her gaze fell; his hands were on the tops of his thighs, uncertain about where he should put them.

"Here," she found her courage and placed a hand over his, admiring the contrast between dark and light, small and large, as she guided him to hold her. "Otherwise you'll fall," she attempted archness to chase the fluttery feel in her belly away.

He huffed a laugh and lowered his head; warmth brushed her neck as he nodded. He didn't explain his amusement, merely curled his fingers gently around her waist, and confirmed he was ready.

Allura clicked her heels into Kara's flank and started walking her out of the yard, and the knowledge she would be watching the skies with him made her heart, rather unexpectedly, sing.

–

They sat hip-to-hip with her riding coat spread out beneath them, ducking closer and pointing in delight as bright orbs streaked above and left glittering trails in their wake. They ate the meal that had been prepared for her together and shared a cup of spiced _gwin_ for warmth as the air above and land beneath stilled and cooled.

Allura leant back on her elbows, full and content, eyes drifting to Takashi as he gazed at the heavens. He looked so…happy, there was no better word. With a swell of joy, she understood this would be the beginning of something very important to her, if she was brave enough to pursue it.

"Farm boy," she whispered, all jest as she nudged him with her shoulder.

He glanced down to her, his smile warm and eyes teasing. "Yes, Princess?"

Searching for her reason, she nodded to the mug only inches from her hand. "Fetch me my cup?" she asked hopefully. "Please?"

His eyes found the mug, half-full with the sweet, golden _gwin_, and she saw him still in realisation. "As you wish," he whispered.

Slowly he shifted, putting his weight on one hip and elbow, and Allura's heart raced as he turned to her and lifted the cup, his eyes soft and watchful as he offered it to her.

He held it while she sipped, and she couldn't take her eyes off him. She swallowed her trepidation as the liquid warmed her throat, and he replaced the mug with a wistful smile, and started to turn back to the heavens.

"Wait – _Takashi_," she fumbled – _too_ quickly.

Perhaps he hadn't meant to turn away at all, or perhaps calling him by his name all evening was too much, for he was facing her again, his hand ghosting her cheek, his eyes on hers as though they had never cared about any other sight. "Allura?" he asked quietly.

"Can I kiss you?" she whispered.

He laughed – little more than a rush of air as he rest his forehead against hers. "As you-"

She pressed her lips to his, suddenly impatient with longing now she understood the meaning of those words between them. His final devotion was lost to a sigh of abject relief as the meteors high above witnessed their first kiss, then spiralled on.

–

After their night under the stars, Allura stopped calling him 'farm boy'. Takashi stopped hiding his adoration, and Allura fell, hard and fast with eyes wide open. Takashi continued working the orchard and tending the few animals, and Allura took a more active role instead of idling around looking for excuses to bother him - because she no longer needed one to be close to him. Once the work was completed they would ride together, exploring the wonders of the land and stopping to sit under the stars as night fell.

He'd had a life before the refugee colony, and Allura tentatively asked him a little more about it each quintant. He recalled it with such fondness that she often found herself jealous of how accessible his memories were to him, like pages of a book he could flip through as he liked. He was a pilot and _astrophysicist_, which sounded like the equivalent of an Altean _fisegydd; _one who could both fly through and navigate space with an understanding of how the cosmos operated, even if his knowledge was theoretical and skills had been constrained to his native sector when he had trained.

He'd been leading a mission to the edge of Earth's solar system when the Galra had found him and his crew of two. He remembered little of the encounter, but when he woke he was on a different ship, and it was landing on Quabyss with a handful of aliens he had never met.

"They told me Earth had destabilised," he sighed at his lap, picking a bit of fluff off his trousers. "We knew it was coming for years – pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, extinction of species crucial to our ecosystem," he pursed his lips, eyes narrowing with ghosts of arguments past. "Anyway. They said it was no longer habitable. The refugees were being distributed amongst the colonies while there was still time to salvage a few species. My team were lucky – we were away when the end began. But I don't know where Matt and Sam ended up, or if friends and family back on Earth survived or…" he trailed off, eyes faraway. "I'm sorry. I try not to think about the past too much."

"Don't be sorry - you are allowed to miss them," Allura assured, slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow, giving his arm a gentle tug. "I'll ask the Prince about them;" she was due for a treatment next movement and he would know about the refugees from Earth.

Takashi gave her that small, gentle smile that made her heart flutter, and lifted his hand to her cheek; the brief despair locked away again. "Thank you," he murmured. "I'd…really appreciate that."

"Don't thank me yet, I haven't done anything," she grinned as he leaned closer.

"As you wish."

She let him kiss her; let him lead and let herself melt into him, focussing on the softness of his lips, the press of his hand as his thumb brushed her cheek marking and his fingers tangled through her hair.

It was difficult to not get caught up in his life, his memories, as they grew ever closer. She knew he grieved and wondered if she might share this with him too, to lighten the weight of it. Her planet had died, but she remembered nothing of her life before.

The hand at her waist, gripping gently then shifting up to urge her closer, brought her back to Quabyss, to the now; to her farm and the only home she knew. His love let her soar and reminded her she was real and whole. What might have happened in their pasts could not rob them what they had found in each other.

—

Allura was certain there was a childhood and other people - parents, surely - in her jumble of memories. Stray flashes would sometimes slip through her mind, bright for an instant then snuff out before she could catch the thread of it, leaving dark void and questions.

When he had revived her, Prince Lotor had assured her memory loss was common amongst those who had survived the destruction of Altea by cryopod, and the toll was greater the longer one slept. If given time to heal, the universe might allow her past to return – or it might not.

They were alike in that regard; he had suffered the same effects when his mother, Empress Honerva, had woken him to watch over and guide the refugee colonies.

The past was on her mind, so she asked the Prince about it again.

"How can you bear not knowing who you are, your highness?" she asked, throat scratchy and tongue thick from the medicine.

He pursed his lips in that pleased, secretive way she had grown used to while under observation; a smile that meant they could not at present talk of such matters. Prince Lotor nodded for the medic to continue the procedure, and Allura made herself stay still as the fourth tiny needle pierced her wrist and injected the final phial of clear, pale blue liquid into her wrist; regenerative serum administered every phoeb since she'd been woken.

"Is she ready?" Prince Lotor asked smoothly.

The medic _hmm_ed, tossing the spent needle into the rubbish. "One more treatment, sire."

Allura lifted her right wrist, turned it gently in her left hand, focussing on a body that felt a little tired and empty and foreign to her. It was always like this straight after the treatments. Every sense but touch blurred. A tightness built in her chest; she felt itchy all over. She reminded herself it was normal.

"Excellent," Prince Lotor approached. "Leave us."

The command was quiet, an idle suggestion, but the Galra medic lowered her head and backed out of the room at once.

"How are you feeling, Allura?"

He was close; her eyes found his, cautious and questioning as she made herself smile. She did not want to seem ungrateful for his attention to her wellbeing. "I am…fine. Thank you, your highness."

"You certainly look well," Prince Lotor smiled and extended his hand. "To answer your question; I can bear the missing pieces because I believe in my mother."

She wanted to avoid the contact, but accepted his aid because she owed him her life and her mind had been playing tricks like this on her since she'd woken.

He guided her from the clean, blue and white examination chamber toward the reception room where the other Altean subjects awaited their various treatments. "She believes it is for the universe to decide what we are too keep, and what is irrelevant to the future of our people."

Allura nodded automatically; he had told her this before. Everybody else in the colony trusted him at his word – most of the Alteans outright _worshipped _him. But then, all the other Alteans had been born and raised here, not woken from a ten-thousand deca-phoeb nap that had robbed her her past.

"I suppose," she bit her lip, trying to organise thoughts in a brain full of wool, "it is that we are made by our memories. I am…merely curious as to where I came from," she drifted off.

"Altea?" Lotor ducked to catch her eye, turning to face her and take her hands in his. "That is only natural. But I must disagree with the rest; we are as ever defined by our actions today, not our past glories or failures. Tell me Allura, you are happy on Quabyss, are you not?"

She nodded hastily.

"You want for nothing, and tend to of one of the most glorious orchards our people have ever seen," he boasted, as though her achievements were somehow his. "You survived the near extinction of our people," he smiled endearingly. "Once your treatments have finished, the best is yet to come. I should hope your mind would be on your promising future."

"It is," Allura sighed, shaking her head at herself for bringing it up again. "It is just - Takashi talks of his past with such clarity - such…" she searched.

"Takashi…your…farm boy?" Lotor filled the silence, his tone laughing and curious. "You talk with the human?"

Allura nodded, unable to quell her flush; they did a bit more than _talk _these days. "Sometimes," she tucked a piece of fallen hair behind her ear, and glanced over the inviting reception room beyond the door. "He is a great help to me. I must thank you for assigning such a man to my little farm."

"It brings me nothing but pleasure to be of service to our people," Prince Lotor murmured, his smile thin.

"He does wonder, though, what became of his own kind?" she flickered the Prince a warmer glance. "Might you know what happened to the refugees from Earth, or the crew he was found with?"

Prince Lotor shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my dear. But I shall make a special point of asking my mother, on your behalf."

They talked a little more of idle, day-to-day things; the Prince was always interested in her life. Finally, just before noon, Lotor bid her farewell with a delicate hand on her back.

"Do tell me if you manage to locate any of Takashi's friends?" she reminded him with a small, hopeful smile.

Lotor nodded once. "I certainly will."

—

It did not take long for word of the other humans to arrive; a welcome surprise. Lotor truly did prioritise the wishes of his people, and she respected him a little more for that.

One of his commanders delivered the news two quintants after her treatment: Takashi's crew were living on a moon not far from Galra command at the centre of the universe.

"Prince Lotor understands you are worried about them, given the swift nature of Earth's demise. He extends an offer to deliver you to them," she added with a sideways glance in Allura's direction. "Just for a visit, of course. He does not expect you would wish to give up your place on Quabyss."

Takashi was utterly still. "They're safe?" he murmured in quiet shock. "I can…see them?"

Allura's mirth burst out of her; she grinned and threw her arms around his neck. "I am so happy for you, Takashi."

He returned the hug, holding her tight as he sighed into her neck. "I…can't believe it," his words were muffled by her hair and a thickness to his throat. "Thank you."

"A ship destined for the heart of the Empire departs at dawn," the commander continued, unaffected by their tears and embrace. "It will take three movements to reach Galra command-"

"Three…three _weeks_?" Takashi pulled back, frowning in confusion at the commander.

"Go to them," Allura's eyes shone as she encouraged him to turn to her. "The farm will be here when you return."

He studied her, brushed a stray curl back from her cheek, skimming the tip of her ear as he tucked it in place. With a small laugh, Takashi marvelled, "But I just got you."

"And always will have me," she arched a playful eyebrow at him. "I will be here when you return, too."

And so it was settled. Allura was impressed by the speed of it all, even if the news would take Takashi away for the better part of two phoebs. But he had a past, and no matter what Lotor said, it was precious and she wanted him to have what she could not.

As he would need to leave before midnight to make it to the launch bay by dawn, they spent their final night together watching the stars from the _afal_ orchard. The blooms were starting to fall already, dusting the grass with pink and white.

With an aching twist to her chest, Allura realised they would fruit before she saw him again. She stared at him then, memorising the curve of his jaw and cheekbones. He had already packed; a small bag of meagre possessions and a fine bottle of _gwin_ were to make the journey with him.

The cramp in her chest tightened. She knew little of space travel; anything could happen to him up there. She wanted him to go, she was _truly _happy his friends were alive, but - she had to consider it. What if she never saw him again?

She couldn't voice her fears; couldn't bear to dampen his hope. "I'll miss you, Takashi," she allowed, sounding stiff to her own ears.

His eyes had been aloft, his expression thoughtful as he gazed at the heavens, but he turned to her now and his depths retained an echo of stars.

He must have caught the form of her worries. "Hey," he shuffled closer to hold her, brushing an errant tear as it fell by her marking. "I will come back to you."

Allura nodded, glancing down to find his other hand and squeeze it.

"I _will_," he laughed a little.

She glanced through her lashes, uncertainty tugging at her heart as she bit her bottom lip.

"My love, I swear it," he soothed, stroking until his fingers tangled in her silvery hair, placing a kiss to her temple.

"How can you promise that?" she breathed, muted by thick tears threatening to grab hold and shake her.

He drew back far enough to meet her eyes, smiling through tears of his own, yet his hope was as bright and certain as she had ever seen it. "I…I suppose…I believe in us," he pressed his forehead gently to hers. "Allura, I've been caught in your orbit from the moment I met you…I will always, _always _return to you."

She believed him, but clung to him as she kissed him goodbye, and pleaded with the universe to keep her memories forever, if giving them up would assure her his safe return.

—

Given who she was, and who she would become, it was a rather unreasonable request, but she was not to know at the time.

During her final treatment, four quintants after Takashi's departure, Prince Lotor brought her the news; the ship Takashi had been travelling on had been attacked by the Blade of Marmora.

"I am sorry, Allura," he frowned, his eyes deep with sadness. "They do not take prisoners."

Even the effects of the regenerative medicines couldn't dull her heartbreak as Lotor guided her back to the farm, her body wracked with sobs. Everything about this felt wrong, and her chest and throat and eyes _stung _with pain and guilt.

"You _must_ look forward, as one of the survivors of our great people," Lotor encouraged as he departed. "You feel his loss now, but I assure you: your future is bright, and the best is yet to come."

But she did not want it to come. She wanted to go back one movement earlier, when she had asked Lotor about Takashi's people and put this horrible course into motion.

She had wasted _so _much time being blind to his affections, and now she had lost him. The universe was mocking her, surely, and she could no longer find the will to play its games.

The Prince assigned new hands to the farm; a family of twelve tiny Arusians who between them managed the _afal _harvest so she wouldn't have to.

Lotor visited Allura each quintant now, encouraging her to eat and sit with him for a few vargas in the sun. She thought nothing of this new attention. For movements, the hollowness of grief consumed her, and the knowledge she had caused his death weighed heavily on her heart.

Phoebs passed, and the frigid _gaeaf_ season blew the orchard bare. The Arusians took to the bottling shed and Allura was invited to stay out the cooler pheobs from Lotor's command ship. The Castle of Lions had also recently been attacked by the Marmoran scourge, and had docked on Quabyss days earlier for repairs.

She saw no reason not to go. It was an honour to be asked. Any other Altean would have been thrilled.

Allura stood in the entry to the ancient, colossal structure, touching the impossibly smooth whiteness of its arched doorway. A flicker of something pulsed through her hand, warm and fluid. Recognition darted through her then scampered away, as her fleeting memories inevitably did. With a dull, mental shrug, she stepped within.

And there she remained, ensconced within the Castle of Lions, even when the days warmed and the _gwanwyn _festivals cluttered the Quabyssian streets with laughter and colour and the _afal _trees bloomed once more.

When the Prince suggested she might heal through occupation, for idleness had done her no favours, she quietly agreed. From that quintant, she was brought to Lotor's elegant research station, back-lit by gently flowing blue lights the same colour as her eyes, glimmering like sunlight caught in water. He would sit by her for vargas, asking her opinion of this plan or that circuit configuration, watchful and attentive, searching for signs of - something more than she could bare to interpret.

Slowly, cautious as though he feared she might break from the knowledge, Lotor taught her to tune into the quintessence locked within the ship, so she might redirect it to where it was needed. The Castle had undergone heavy damage and was showing signs of its age, but they put her back together, piece by careful piece. The bright, gentle energy used her as a conduit, warming her veins and bringing moments of pure peace, sometimes tickling Allura's mind with sensation and occasionally, curiosity, as though she was being watched, or witnessing the Castle's eternal dream. Sometimes the quintessence reaching toward her would be playful and send tumbling sparks to tickle her spine, but at other times it felt more erratic, brimming with indignity. Sometimes it left her breathless from its intense, overwhelming vastness, as dark as it was light, asking her questions in a language that was _just_ out of reach.

Over time, the Castle of Lions was repaired, and as she healed, so did Allura. Deca-phoebs passed, and as her sensitivity to the Castle's needs grew ever stronger, so did Lotor's attentions toward her. He did not hide how grateful he was for her assistance, commenting often on how good a team they made, and what wonders they would achieve together.

His confession of devotion and the subsequent offer of marriage did not come as a surprise. While she felt she would never love again, she saw no logical reason to reject him. Once the Castle of Lions was fully repaired, Lotor would take to the stars in her, and Allura wanted to stay with the ship. She felt a closeness to the Castle; a tentative curiosity toward the various entities she sensed slumbering deep within, and if she had to marry Prince Lotor to remain and unlock their secrets, she would.

And so it was that five deca-phoebs after Prince Lotor woke Allura from cryosleep and poisoned her mind so she would forget who she was and where she came from, she returned, on his terms, to be Princess once more.

The universe had little to do with the decision.

* * *

_A/n: So...I'm a long time Shallura reader, first time Shallura poster, nervous about writing anything for such an active fandom but was working on A Bard's Tale and the plot bunnies helpfully popped in with, why not Princess Bride, but Shallura?_

_So this thing began, and I'm loving working some of my favourite characters into a scenario reminiscent of one of my favourite movies of all time, figuring out who fits where and how to tilt the VLD universe to fit a TPB plot. It's going to be a bit fantasy, a bit sci-fi, and a bit nostalgia trip. Yes, story title is obvious and cheesy, but I couldn't think of a better one._

_Anyone want clarification on anything within, throw me a comment here or gabbicav on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy it!_


	2. The Party

_Chapter 2: The Party_

"Might both cape and skirt be lined in pink?"

Allura stared at her reflection and tracked the fine lines of gold stitched into flowing folds of sparkling white and rich iris.

"Lovely choice, highness," the seamstress smiled gently.

"For…those we have lost," Allura felt compelled to add, gaze falling to her dark, slender hands peeking from light blue cuffs. "I think I will always wear pink, Felorose, for…" she swallowed, flexing her fingers.

"I understand, highness," Felorose brushed the shoulder, frowning as she noted something down on her tablet. "For our lost Altea. It's a grand gesture, and I have just the pink. It will compliment your markings beautifully."

Allura smiled her gratitude, but her heart twisted with shame. Felorose didn't, _couldn't _understand, and Allura felt a fraud to the people she was supposed to represent. What would they say if they knew in the depths of her heart she wore pink for a human man? She _wanted_ to wear it for them, for the planet they'd lost, but with her past forgotten the most she could grieve in that regard was the loss of her own knowledge. It wasn't enough.

"Anything else you need, highness?"

_Him, I need him._

"No, thank you," she murmured, lifting her arms. Felorose unpinned hurriedly; she had two vargas to finish it if Allura was to wear it to the farewell ball.

Almost three phoebs had passed since she'd accepted Prince Lotor's proposal. After presenting her to the enraptured crowds with the announcement broadcast to every civilised system, her duties shifted. She was still occasionally asked to move quintessence to this sector or that _cynosith_, but now spent most of her time holding Lotor's arm looking beautiful, a trophy and testament to his devotion to the Altean people; he could have chosen anyone and he chose one of _them_ to be his life partner.

In public she was appreciative and humble, drawing on a pool of inner quiet instructing her to be professional and supportive of Prince Lotor's opinions. In truth, she found many of his decisions curiously in want of foresight, and often had trouble stomaching his presence. She watched, restraining herself from intervening as he discussed matters large and small with ally and foe. He always wore that secret smile, always spoke on the steady edge of mocking but was somehow never quite offensive enough for anyone to question him. The other diplomats ate out of his hands, and she assumed if they felt any animosity, they allowed him his nuances simply because he was royal; a certain amount of pomp was expected.

In private - as private as two could be when surrounded by servants and sentries - he showered her with praise in a smug, self-congratulatory manner. She had stepped into the role of Princess with such grace that Lotor was convinced she was finally where the universe meant for her to be, but in the depths of her heart, she felt neither relief nor love.

When Felorose departed her rooms, gown across her arms, Allura sagged onto her bed in her long, pale pink shift and stared at the ceiling. Soon the handmaidens would arrive to prepare her hair for the ball.

But for a dobosh, she was alone. Leant sideways against her pillows, she pressed her palm to the smooth wall panel and closed her eyes.

The thrum of awareness was there at once, as though they had been waiting for her to make contact. A bubble of emotion pounced on her mind, the most honest freedom she'd experienced since her life on the farms all those deca-phoebs ago. She laughed, just a huff of delight as the second thread joined the first, warm but more sober than its sister.

Focussing her quintessence, Allura sent a wordless question and the third emerged; stoic and vast, dark and light; protection so fundamentally comforting she wanted to fall into her essence and become one with it.

It had evolved from a stream of tangled feelings to gradual understanding, and then language. As she got better at communicating through quintessence, she learnt they were not the voice of the Castle ship as she had first assumed, but three separate beings belonging to the Castle, somehow constrained to their own home. She had asked how to find them and they had shown her only light and shadow moving impossibly fast, but nothing she could interpret as a map or directions, and she was never at liberty to explore for long anyway. When she had asked what to call them, they had returned more flashes of light that led her to identify them as colours: _Azure_, _Ruby_ and _Raven_.

_Tonight, _Azure flickered?

The Princess affirmed, unable to help but feel sad. _Yes. Tonight we fly._

They were leaving Quabyss after the ball, leaving the only world she had ever known. The Castle ship was ready and Lotor was impatient to show both his ship and his Princess off to the Empire. Their engagement tour would deliver them to the Galactic hub where she would be presented to Emperor Zarkon and Empress Honerva before the ceremony of union took place.

Raven wordlessly encircled her sadness with sympathy, sending a tentative impression; the potential of escape.

Allura shook her head firmly. She was not a prisoner, for she had agreed to marry the Prince. There was nothing to run from - or run to.

Ruby expressed herself suddenly, the rumble of quintessence snarling and fierce like a lick of flame.

_Find me, _she roared. _We will fly to the stars _**_now_**_, sister._

Azure was quick to protest that Allura find _her_, and Raven sent a rolling thrum of amusement.

_Wait. We fly when the time is right, _Raven purred_._

_But I will not flee my duty, _Allura assured.

_This is _**_not _**_your duty, _Ruby growled.

The knock to her door came and Allura let her hand fall, sluggish as she blinked herself back into a reality that felt cold.

The handmaidens were quiet as they approached, and Allura remembered she had to welcome them before they would address her. Glancing up, she forced a smile onto her face.

And she stilled, staring at three Alteans who definitely weren't handmaidens. One tall, one large, one tiny; two tawny, one pale, all three with dark hair in various states of disarray and with matching orange cheek markings, wearing the most peculiar, loose-fitting clothing. Allura squinted; something about their ears was…wrong? They were pointed, but the tall one's were somehow…lopsided, and the large one's were tucked into an orange headband, which would have itched _monstrously_.

Allura stood and mustered her diplomacy with a clearing of her throat. "Can I help you?" she asked. "Are you lost?"

The little one scowled at a tablet in her grasp, chocolate eyes pinned to it. "Maybe?" she hazarded with a swift _tap-tap_ to the device.

"We're not lost, see?" the headbanded one chimed, peeking over the little one's shoulder. "Oh. Where'd she go? The sine was so steady a second ago-"

"And now it's gone," the small one drawled, eyes flickering to Allura uncertainly. "Think it's her?"

"Think I'm who?" Allura quirked an eyebrow.

"Dunno, hey. It _looks_ like her."

"Doesn't matter," the tall, lanky one spoke and strode toward her. "She's here - we're here - let's get this show on the road."

"What show on which road?" Allura tried, tilting her head in confusion.

"Except it really _does _matter," the small one insisted. "The Alteans are a chameleon race, this could be a decoy."

"Stop being paranoid, we made it this far already," the tall one waved a hand. "Look at _her_, not the tech."

Allura took a step back; inspected the tall one, because he was closest to her. "I do not appreciate being talked at," she whispered, lifting her chin as a spark of indignation kindled. "Why are you here?"

He was steps from her, steeped in confidence. "For the goodbye party. Isn't everybody?" he shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Allura blinked. It had been deca-phoebs since anyone had spoken to her so informally. She closed her burgundy robe around her waist, a little self-conscious all of a sudden. "Yes, of course," she replied quietly, glancing to the pair between her and the door.

"Let me see the thingy," the large one was murmuring to the small.

She leaned over her tablet, mouth twisted and eyebrow arched as she showed him some readings. "It's not supposed to fluctuate so wildly."

"Yeah. Think they're onto us?"

"Nah."

"Are you…guests?" Allura asked with a frown. Were they here to hurt her, they surely would not be so…disorganised. "If you are in need of directions - the ballroom is on the other side of the castle. These are the private quarters."

"So, what you're saying is," the tall one rocked on his heels, "this section of the ship's pretty quiet? Not a lot of guards about?" he wagged his eyebrows, and she _supposed_ he was trying to be charming?

"There are sentries all over the Castle," Allura corrected hollowly, distracted by the rubbery, pointed prosthetic stuck to the curve of a small, stunted ear - she could see it clearly now. Realisation dawned. "You're human, aren't you?" she whispered, met his eye, inspected his markings. Yes, they were painted on. "Why are you pretending to be Altean?"

His grin widened. "Smart, beautiful, elegant - throw that junk away, Pidge - this is our Princess."

"Seriously?" the short one glanced to the ceiling. "Why don't you just shout our names down the hall, Lance? Get it out of your system?"

"Supposed to be incognito, buddy."

"Yeah yeah," the tall one, this 'Lance', held his hand out to Allura. "It's all right," he winked. "No one's around, right?"

"_Sentries_," the small one, Pidge, reminded in a dry, pointed drone.

Allura faltered, staring at his hand with a confused blink. "I'm sorry, what is it that you want, exactly?"

"To rescue you," he said quietly with an oddly-bashful shrug. "Lance McClain's the name. You can thank me later."

Allura blanked. "_Rescue_ me?"

"Technically it's more a kidnapping at the moment," the large one held up a finger. "It'll make more sense once we've got you and the lions and regrouped with Coran. Trust us."

He spoke very quickly, and Allura only understood about half his sentence. "I'm supposed to trust three children disguised as Alteans who are _technically_ here to kidnap me?" she baulked. How had they made it this far into the Castle without being caught?

"_Technically_," Pidge tucked the tablet into her pocket with a sigh, "we're not children. And we weren't supposed to tell you any of that yet. Can we explain on the way?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Allura returned, steady and watchful.

"Huh?" Lance lowered his hand, eyebrow raised. "You mean…you actually love that creep?"

"That is none of your business."

"You seriously gotta shut that mouth, Lance - look Princess, we don't want to just bag you and run-"

"Bag me?" Allura was unfamiliar with the term.

"Ohh, no no no, we are _not _gonna bag her, she'll kick our butts."

"So how do we rescue her when she doesn't want to be rescued?" Lance shrugged to the others.

"Maybe you should reconsider," the large one winced. "Coz we sorta can't get out of here without you, so…"

"What Hunk is trying to say," Pidge stepped forward hastily, "is that we could _really_ use your help, Princess."

Allura glanced between all three for a tick. "My kidnappers want my assistance…to kidnap me?"

"We're really not selling the rescue part, are we?" Lance scratched an ear and dislodged the fake one a smidge.

"So that's a firm no?" Hunk shrunk back a little, glanced to Pidge. "He was right. She doesn't remember a thing."

"Okay," Pidge closed her eyes, took a focussing breath. "I'm sorry it has to come to this, Princess," she held her hand by her side and flexed her fingers. A small, green and white katar materialised in her grasp. "_Really_ sorry," she repeated quietly with a wince as she lifted it, and aimed.

"Pidge," Hunk warned hastily. "I don't think this is a good idea."

Allura stared at the tiny glowing blade, eyes wide. "How did you do that?"

"Are you nuts?!" Lance screeched. "You can't shoot the Princess!"

Allura's attention snapped up in alarm. "Shoot me?! I thought you were here to rescue me!"

"Oh, so _now _it's a rescue?" Lance threw his arms up in defeat.

"Will everybody stop shouting?" Pidge grit out and clicked the weapon. With a flash, a bright green rope encircled Allura's waist, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Wha-!?" she uttered, falling from the momentum - only to be clumsily caught by Lance. "Unhand me!"

"If I let go, you'll fall!"

Flushing red, Pidge shook her hand and the weapon was dismissed. She raced to the door; it opened with a smooth _whoosh, _and she glanced down the hallway.

"Okay," Hunk hurriedly approached, hands out. "I know this looks bad," he placated, winding the cable to shorten it, "but I promise, it's for your own good."

Allura shot him an exasperated look. "The Prince will never let you leave with me."

Hunk grimaced. "Yeah we know. We haven't got a hope of getting you out of here alone," he gingerly took hold of the cable around her waist, the extra coiled in his other hand. "Our whole escape plan kinda hinges on you. Really hoping you'll change your mind about helping us."

"While _bound_?"

"Coast's clear."

"Where to next?" Lance slipped his hand around Allura's elbow, guiding her toward the door.

They stepped into the corridor, and Allura sucked in deep breath through her nose.

"Princess?" Pidge asked in a hush, retrieving the tablet and thumbing it awake. "Can you call to the lions? I've lost contact-"

Allura opened her mouth, eyes flickering from Pidge, to the empty hall. "Help-!" she screamed.

"Crap!" Lance startled, letting go of her.

Before she could run or scream some more, a hand covered her mouth - Hunk's large fingers muffled her cry and his other arm closed around her centre. Allura tossed to try break free of his hold, but he held her fast.

The sound echoed down the hallway and the three humans looked at each other in silent horror.

As Allura's cry faded, the distant, tinny voice of a Galra sentry replied.

"Acknowledged. Commencing transit."

"Yeah, time to go," Pidge murmured.

"What if we have the wrong princess?" Hunk whispered urgently as he picked Allura up, hand still clasped over her mouth; his pace steadily increased. "I mean, if she were super-strong, she'd have whipped us by now, right?"

Pidge ducked into a slimmer walkway. "Well maybe whatever that creep did to her sapped her strength, too?" she murmured, clearly annoyed.

Allura glowered; they were mad, the lot of them.

"Oh, right. Ow!"

"Shut _up_, Hunk, this is hard enough as it is!" Pidge stopped by a utility doorway and worked frantically at an access panel.

"She bit me!"

"Bite her back!"

"You will _not _bite me back," Allura hissed. "If you don't return me to my people at once, I _will _scream again-"

And her threats were cut off, muffled suddenly as a cloth pressed against her lips. Behind her, Lance tied a piece of material around her head. "We _are _your people," he insisted. "You're just not great at listening."

"Hey!" Hunk protested. "Now we're _gagging_ the Princess?!"

Allura tried to spit the material out - caught sight of Hunk's hair falling around his false ears - but Lance only tightened the headband, pinning her ears and _oh_ _yes, _it itched. Allura glared at Lance as he stepped back and lifted his hand to his chin, considering.

"This really is starting to look like a kidnapping," Lance commented quietly.

"Got it," Pidge muttered. The door she was working on slid open, and she motioned for them to follow.

The four squeezed into the closet, and Pidge closed them in.

They were plunged into darkness, only a thin, bright line under the doorway casting a sliver of the hallway's light on their boots. Outside, the metal clang of footsteps approached, and the three held their breaths as one. Hunk put his hand over the Princess's gagged mouth, for good measure.

She didn't care about getting the attention of the sentries _now_; being in closer quarters, Allura was able to press her fingertips to the wall, and she closed her eyes, pooled her quintessence and reached out.

_Help me, _she called. _They are taking me. _

She could feel both Ruby and Raven's interest, but it was Azure who replied with urgency.

_Find me, _she sent, bubbling with anticipation.

The metallic footsteps passed, and receded.

_Find you_, Allura repeated in desperation? _I am being taken from the Castle! _

_You are free. _**_Find me_. **

Hunk shuffled the Princess forward, inadvertently breaking contact, and Allura's eyes flew open, mind jarring at the switch.

Pidge's face was lit up by a teal-blue glow; she had activated the tablet again, but her eyes were glued to Allura. "Okay," she stammered in a whisper. "I think we have the right Princess."

Allura made eye contact with the girl and did not react.

"Yeah," Hunk eased his hold to glance at the screen. "You were talking to them, huh?" he asked in such a disarming manner that had she not been bound and gagged, she might have offered the truth.

Allura couldn't move much - but she managed to angle her wrist so her finger pointed up toward the gag - and she raised her eyebrows as though it explained everything.

"That's exactly what she was doing," Pidge glanced down, eyes tracking symbols as they scrolled and lines zig-zagged across the centre. She frowned, shaking her head. "Why am I only catching _one_ signal? Intel said there were three."

"Maybe she disabled the other two?" Lance whispered.

Pidge shook her head, tilting it. "I don't think they can be disabled."

"Maybe they don't want to be rescued either?" Hunk proposed. "They won't let just _anyone _fly them."

"Yeah, but _she's_ not just anyone."

"Told you we should've brought Green," Lance sniffed. "The lion's would've listened to her."

_Green_, Allura thought vaguely, eyes on the back of the translucent tablet. A steady wavelength curved in the middle, the peaks and troughs strong and constant.

"Yeah, but if Lotor got his hands on Green, he'd have four lions, _and_ the Princess," Hunk pointed out.

"And we'd be dead," Pidge stared at Lance for a tick, utterly unimpressed.

"How do we get to the one broadcasting, then?" Lance shrugged. "We only need one to get out."

She glanced back to her readings. "I guess," Pidge sighed. "Not ideal but…"

"Better than being dead."

"Right. Yeah, you're right. Okay, let's go get her."

_Her?_

Did they mean _Azure_?

Were they taking her _to Azure_?

Allura stopped fighting then, though no amount of eye widening or muffled noises or eyebrow lifting or strained pointing encouraged them to loosen the gag.

"I know this is really confusing for you," Hunk shook his head regretfully. "But we can't have you yelling out again. We're not gonna hurt you, okay? We'll explain as soon as we can."

Somehow the stumbling humans moved through the castle without alerting any of the sentries. As time ticked by, Allura wondered why nobody had raised the alarm; surely by now her _real _handmaidens had arrived to find her rooms empty.

Soon, they were traipsing through a section of the Castle Allura had never seen made of sleek, darker panelling, no less elegant than the white sectors they had come from, and linked by those comforting, familiar blue lines of purest light.

Hunk let her walk again, though kept a firm hold of the green cable, winding it around both his hands to tether them together.

Studying the tablet all the while, Pidge led them to a vent, along a duct, and unclicked the screen at the end carefully, poking her head out of the opening.

She was back inside in a flash, eyes glowing with triumph. "Found her!"

"Ah, which one!" Lance shot forward, peering out the gap. "Hah!" he cackled. "Good work, Pidgeon!" he ruffled her mop.

Pidge swore as she swatted him off, but grinned. "Let's go meet her."

"Hard part over," Hunk let out a puff of air as he smiled with relief. "Really hope she lets us in."

"She will!" Lance crowed, slinging his gangly legs out and dropping out of sight. "Okay, send the Princess down!"

Allura's skin tingled - suddenly she was desperate to throw herself into the chamber beyond. It was _brimming _with Azure's quintessence.

Hunk lowered her down by the cable, and Lance caught Allura at the bottom. He hugged her close as Hunk dropped the end after her, and Allura saw her chance - pushed herself off Lance's chest, and broke free.

All three humans called for her to stop, but she ignored them and turned, darting toward the energy that would protect her from-

She looked up and her mouth fell open; her heart stuttered to a stop.

_Enormous blue robotic lion encased in a force field._

Allura dropped to her knees by the geodesic shield as Lance caught up to her. The boy skid to a stop, grabbed the end of the cable and hurriedly tied it to his belt.

He said something about trying that stunt again, but Allura didn't really hear him.

_Azure, _she thought? The reply was soft - though affirmative, weakened through lack of contact. She tried to touch the shield, forgetting her hands were locked to her sides. Indignation filled her, and she whipped her head to Lance, eyes flashing with anger. _Remove the gag._

Lance stood and took her arm, helping her to her feet.

"That was _too _close," Pidge murmured, stepping into view. The shield reflected in her glasses, and with a rather proud smirk, she placed her hands on her hips. "Okay. So we got the Blue lion and the Princess. Not a bad rescue."

"Yeah, I'm really surprised nobody's caught us yet," Hunk commented, shoulders hunching as he glanced around uncertainly. "Surely they have sensors all over this room. Lance, you wanna do your thing already, or…?"

"Oh - right," Lance stepped closer, his nose a hairsbreadth from the shield. Lifting the hand not clinging to Allura, he rapped his knuckles against one of the glowing blue hexagons.

The shield dissolved with a whisper of power and a flash of blue. Azure lowered her head and opened her mouth; a ramp descended.

"So, that worked," Pidge drawled.

"Told ya," Lance grinned.

He stepped forward - touch light on Allura's arm as he guided her up the ramp.

"Isn't she great?" Lance asked in a whisper. "I've been dreaming about this day for months."

Allura couldn't stop staring as Lance led her onboard. With the barricade gone, the trickle of emotion became a flood of expectant hope. Azure might have been a colossal robot lion on the outside, but inside, she was jittering with excitement and _so _ready to fly through the stars again that Allura could almost _taste_ her want.

And, Allura noted with a hint of resignation, after welcoming her and confirming she was uninjured, Azure's attentions focussed entirely on reaching the boy guiding her.

"I think she's a bit bigger than Green," Hunk commented, his hand drifting along one of the lines of blue light leading them within.

"I should hope so," Pidge quipped. "She _is_ a leg."

The mouth closed behind them and Lance paused to untie the Princess's gag. "Here," he tossed it at Hunk; the man fumbled to catch it. "Should be safe enough to-"

"Who are you?!" Allura spat, jaw aching as she threw her shoulder into him, rough with frustration. "How did you know about these beings?"

Lance cringed and held his hands up, catching her. "Cool your jets, we said we'd explain!"

"Sorry about shooting you, Princess," Pidge untied the knot securing her to Lance, and unwound the section pinning her arms to her waist. "Lance, can you get us out of here?"

"Dunno. I think so. Let's find out!" he bolted for a staircase with a whoop of joy, a mirror to Azure's response.

"He's gonna crash her," Hunk sighed, resigned. "We're dead."

"Do it quietly!" Pidge called urgently, hastily palming the mess of loosened cable at Allura. "We don't want the entire Galra armada following us!" she raced after him.

Allura watched Pidge disappear up the staircase and slow-blinked at Hunk. She turned the end of the cable in her hand; it was smooth and slightly warm. "This lion is a vehicle?"

"Yeah," Hunk grinned, motioning for her to follow the others up with a nod as he re-tied his headband. "Your people built them."

"My people?"

"The Alteans. On Altea. When there _was_ an Altea," he mumbled.

"_You_ know of Altea?"

"You can let go of that now, we're not going to tie you up again," he waved at the cable, his voice meek.

"Oh," she let it go; watched it coil, a green slash against the steel-grey metal flooring.

"And yeah, we know about Altea," Hunk nodded, guiding her up the stairs. "I mean - a little bit, just the parts Coran told us."

"Who's Coran?"

"Man, that creep really did a number on you, didn't he?"

The ship - lion - _Azure_ \- shuddered and the ground rolled under their feet; jolting, Allura and Hunk grabbed for the hand rail.

The juddering persisted, but she couldn't let go of what he'd said. "That's not the first time you've said that," she hauled herself upright as the shaking reduced to a dull grumble. An impression feathered her mind; Lance and Azure were communicating, though crudely, as she taught him how to fly her. Allura turned her attention to Hunk; the conversation between lion and boy felt as though it should be more private than it currently was.

Hunk frowned, his eyes on the path above them. "Let me guess, he told you your amnesia is a result of your time in stasis?"

Allura watched her footing as she ascended, gathering the skirt of her robe so she wouldn't trip on the hem. "Isn't it?" she whispered.

"Sorry, it's not. Altean cryopods are actually really good at healing the body and mind, not taking from it."

She reached the top of the stairs and found herself in a close auxiliary hallway. There was a distant _boom_, and the floor lurched under them again.

"Sorry!" Lance hollered.

"Activate inertial dampeners!" Hunk bellowed back.

No reply came, but the shuddering stopped.

Allura righted herself and a comforting hand steadied her back.

"You okay?" Hunk asked quietly.

Allura just stared at him as discomfort pooled within her, thick and acidic. "So…tell me why it is I don't remember anything before Quabyss?"

Hunk frowned, his eyes heavy with sympathy. "He didn't want you to remember," he muttered. "We're _guessing_ Lotor dosed you with a really specific neurotoxin."

"He…wanted me to forget?" she confirmed with a dry swallow. "But why?" she uttered, mind reeling to the treatments she'd endured for those two deca-phoebs after she'd woken; how dull and disconnected it had made her feel. Yet she hadn't even questioned what they'd been putting into her veins.

"He probably knew you'd never help him if you remembered who you were," Hunk shrugged bashfully.

"And who am I?"

"Princess of Altea."

"Altea is gone, I know that much."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's true, but - its legacy lives on, in you and all those people in the colonies," Hunk offered her a sad smile. "And _you_, you can operate the wormholer, navigate through space, communicate with the Castle and the lions, as easy as others can breathe."

"He _showed_ me how to do that," Allura spluttered.

"Oh, so he made you think _he_-" Hunk faltered, glancing to the ceiling. "Okay, I can see how it'd seem that way. It's probably better if Coran explains - he knows you and the Castle better than anyone."

"How?"

"Well, his grandfather helped _build_-"

"Breaking atmo!" Pidge called out. "Hunk where are you?!"

"Ohhh man, I really wish we hadn't started this conversation yet," he glanced to the doorway leading up.

"I understand," Allura conceded, deflating. "Go. Your friends need you," she drifted toward the connecting chamber so he would follow.

"You sure?"

She nodded, and resolve swelled within her. "I have waited for over five deca-phoebs for the universe to return my past," she whispered. "I can wait a dobosh more."

"_Five_? Five _years_? That's - that's _horrible_," Hunk faltered. "I'm sorry it took us so long to come get you. We didn't know where you were, until the announcement-"

An explosion rocked the walls. With her fingertips pressed to the smooth, cool side panel for balance, Azure brushed her mind fleetingly.

_You found me_, the lion sent with a pulse of warmth. _You found my Paladin_.

Allura shook her head. _They found me. Us_.

Hunk and Allura entered the cockpit. Pidge stood, gripping a guiderail, eyes on a screen displaying a series of tiny, purple pulses.

"They're in pursuit," she flicked an angry glance their way, returning immediately to the screen. Her free hand typed frantically at a touchpad. "Trying to install the chameleon code, but she doesn't want to listen to me."

"Coz she ain't yours," Lance sat in a large, wide chair in the middle of the chamber with an array of heads-up displays flickering over the large windows before him.

"Helpful!" Pidge quipped sarcastically. "Guess you're getting us out of here on skill alone."

Allura's breath caught, eyes fixed on the endless black beyond the screens.

"We're in space?" she confirmed.

Hunk sidestepped, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes."

Allura lowered herself to a bench and glanced between her three kidnappers. Rescuers.

Hunk joined Pidge by the input, grabbing hold of the same rail. "Does the basecode for the default shield match Green's? I thought your mod fit right over it."

Pidge nodded. "It's the same, she just doesn't want to compile."

"Doesn't _want_ to?"

"Well, she _is_ kinda busy teaching Lance how to pilot without crashing or burning out."

"That doesn't make sense, the chameleon code would make her job easier."

"Then maybe she doesn't want to hide?" Pidge exclaimed. "You try reasoning with her!"

A flash exploded, filling the left view screen with bright white; Hunk startled back, Pidge swore and Lance grit his teeth.

"C'mon baby, give me some more speed," he muttered.

Allura just gripped the rail behind her and stared, feeling disconnected from - _everything_. The steady thrum around them grew louder and the tiny, pin-prick stars turned to tiny, glowing trails.

"That's more like it!" Lance cheered, patting his dashboard fondly.

Allura huffed in bafflement - in sudden, inexplicable relief - and sagged against the wall.

Contact restored, Azure hummed with contentment, and Allura found her mind wrapped in the lion's affection.

_What of Ruby and Raven, _Allura asked with a pang of regret?

_Their Paladins will come,_ Azure purred.

—

The vast stillness of the Castle's command deck was heightened by the glow of the screens before the only two occupied stations.

Lotor watched as the Blue lion shot into the sky and disappeared from his screen. He dismissed the now-empty panel and glanced up wearing a thoughtful smirk, eyes on the constellations glittering above.

"They're away," General Acxa murmured, leaning back in the wide, elegant seat to observe him. "Your father will be furious."

"Let him rage," Lotor stood, the tail of his dress cloak swishing behind him as he turned to leave. "Soon we will have all _five _lions in our possession."

"And the Princess?" Acxa queried quietly. "She will remember everything."

"She might," Lotor stopped by Acxa, laid a hand on her arm. "But to what end? She will die soon at the hand of Marmora, and we will have Voltron to avenge her and wipe their scourge from the universe," he strode toward the door and swiped it open, raising his voice in alarm. "Cancel the party and summon my council, Zethrid. The Princess has been kidnapped."

"Understood."

"Uh - sire?" a hint of surprise entered Acxa's tone.

"What is it?"

She pointed to her screen as it flickered, briefly tracking a streak of purple-white.

"Somebody just stole the _Black_ lion from its hangar."

* * *

_A/n: So, I'm kinda very determined to make this AU work to the end of TPB, now I look ahead and see the challenges in making these two universes work together. It's really fun to write - hope you're enjoying it too. Thanks for the comments/messages on the first chapter!_


	3. The Man in Black

_Chapter 3: The Man in Black_

"We're clear of the system," Hunk reported.

"But not of pursuit?" Pidge squinted at the readout; her glasses slipped down her nose.

"Give me a second!" Lance growled.

"No, I mean something's matching our speed," Pidge confirmed quickly, pushing her glasses back up. "It's not a Galra ship."

Lance _pfft_ed and his shoulders visibly relaxed. "Probably some local hoon out for a joy ride."

"Yeah, not at the speed we're maintaining. Who d'you think they are?" Hunk asked.

"I think…" Pidge hesitated, frowning at the screen. "How is that possible?"

"No - stop with the thinkies, start with the talkies, Pidgeon."

"It's the Black lion," she drawled.

"Aww, no way, really?!"

"I thought Zarkon was her Paladin!"

Allura's heart leapt into her throat.

"He was, once," Pidge confirmed.

"Unless the Galra have developed a teleporter they've told nobody about - Zarkon's at Galra command!" Lance spat over his shoulder.

Hunk and Pidge stared at each other for a beat, then fell into speculation so fast it made Allura's head spin.

"Maybe Lotor figured out how to fly her? Like father, like son?"

"If Lotor was the Black Paladin I doubt he would've kept quiet about it."

"Yeah you're right, he couldn't shut up about the Castle of Lions."

"So that means someone just _took_ her from under his nose?"

"What, like we just took Blue?"

"Point taken - so who's flying her?"

"And why're they following us?"

Both Pidge and Hunk turned to Allura.

"Can you…I dunno, do your thing and check in with the Black lion?" Hunk asked. "Ask her what's going on?"

"I…can try."

Closing her eyes, she leant back and assembled her quintessence, crestfallen to find her reserves too worn and withdrawn to leave the bounds of Azure's hull.

_Who flies Raven_, she asked Azure instead? _Is it Lotor?_

_It is not. _Azure hummed with satisfaction. _Her Paladin has come. She knew he would._

Allura pursed her lips; she tried again. _Can you ask Raven who they are? _

Azure sent an affirmative, and in the space of a heartbeat, returned with a flutter of black marked with a bright, metallic slash that glowed white at its centre; an identification of sorts. _Their bond is new, forming. She only calls him Paladin,_ followed_._

"She doesn't know what to call him," Allura reported. "But it is not Lotor."

"Well, that's good right?"

"Not if it's Zarkon!"

"It's not _Zarkon_, he _betrayed_ the Black lion, she'd never take him back. This might work in our favour," Pidge continued. "If we can lure him back to Olkarion, we might be able to retrieve the Black lion after all."

"Whoa," Hunk stared at the panel tracking their progress. "We'd only be one lion short of forming Voltron."

"You wanna risk going home without knowing who her Paladin works for? Nuh-uh, what if it's one of Lotor's goons?" Lance fired over his shoulder, eyes firmly locked on the screens before him. "I'm driving this lion, I say we either outrun him, or turn and fight."

"You can't…just _no_," Pidge pinched her forehead. "Any more luck with ID-ing who's flying the lion, Princess?"

"I'm still trying."

_What does he want, _Allura asked Azure? _Why does he pursue us?_

_His thoughts are on you, sister. _

"He wants…_me_?" Allura opened her eyes and glanced to Pidge in surprise, as though the young woman could explain.

"Don't worry, you're not going to be taken by anyone," Pidge assured.

"Well, anyone but us…"

"Yeah, we stole you first!"

"But - who else is after me - and why?!"

"Could be Unilu?" Hunk tapped his fingers together nervously. "Coran says they deal in anything - ten-thousand year old Altean royalty is about as rare as they get."

"I doubt the Black Paladin is a _space pirate,_ Hunk," Pidge leant back, grip firm on the handrail as she eyed the screen tracking the blip of pursuit. "He could be literally anyone in the universe. Why don't we just ask him?" she murmured and pressed a couple of keys beside the panel. The screen changed, displaying grey static and a solid horizontal line of white; an audio feed.

"Politely," Hunk encouraged gently.

"We're not asking him to _dinner_," Pidge murmured.

"Hey, yeah! Maybe we should?"

She flashed him a furrowed look, then leant toward the screen. "Blue lion to Black. Identify yourself, over," Pidge requested. The white line jumped in time with her command, then flattened.

"Come in, pilot of the Black lion," Pidge tried again. "Requesting you give us some room and let us know why you're chasing us. Over."

No reply came; Pidge and Hunk frowned and shrugged at each other. "Okay, try it your way," Pidge conceded, unimpressed.

Hunk half-smiled and leant closer to the screen. "Hey, Black Paladin. This is Hunk Garrett, Paladin of the Yellow lion. So uh…welcome the family," it was almost sing-song. "Let us know if you need anything. And also, what do we call you?"

Allura stared at the panel as the white line flattened, willing it to move and oddly terrified it would.

"Since, you know," Hunk half-smiled, trying again, "we're part of the same team and all-"

"_No one of consequence_."

Allura flinched; Hunk and Pidge barked and recoiled in surprise. The white line jumped across the screen in time with the voice; low and distracted, distorted by something - perhaps the feed itself.

"We have contact," Hunk sighed quietly in relief, patting Pidge on the shoulder.

"Good work," Pidge whispered. "Keep him talking, find out what he wants."

He nodded in a distracted way and addressed the panel. "I mean…sure it feels that way sometimes for all of us out here, but you gotta be _somebody_ for the Black lion to choose you," Hunk shrugged, pushing Pidge in the shoulder and taking a seat in front of the screen.

"This isn't the midnight shift, Hunk - just tell the chosen one to back off!" Lance called, pulling hard on a control stick. "He's crowding my space!"

The dampeners did most of the work, but Allura still had to lean into the ship to counter the sharp turn.

"Nobody - really - owns this - space," Hunk braced himself as the Blue lion lurched; in the view screens a rock exploded against the hull.

"Lance!" Pidge protested.

"Geez, was that an _asteroid_?"

"Slow down!"

"Only when that quiznak chasing us does!" Lance screeched.

"Lance, shut it and focus on keeping Blue steady!" Pidge grit. "Okay, unknown man in Black, you don't have to give us your name, but there's a high chance we're on the same side," she called to the audio panel. "Will you maintain a safe distance so our Blue Paladin doesn't kill us _and_ the Princess of Altea? She _is _what you're chasing, isn't she?"

The Blue lion darted left with a sharp leap, metal paws bounding off a small, spinning lump of space rock with a _crunch_; inside, the occupants cried out and grabbed hold of whatever bit of ship was closest. In her mind, Allura felt Azure's exasperation.

A grunt of frustration came over the audio line, followed by a distant impact through the feed. "_There's a larger asteroid up ahead. Land there_," the man in Raven commanded. "_Perhaps an arrangement can be made._"

"I'm not landing so you can whisk the Princess out from under us!" Lance roared. "Just back off and forget you saw us."

"_Not_ _helping, _Lance!" Pidge yelled. "We don't want him disappearing with the Black lion!"

Allura's head swam and stomach churned; she stared at her hands, her fingers clenched. She understood what motivated the three humans who had taken her from Quabyss, now - sort of. She wanted to know why this newcomer was after her too.

"We need to land somewhere," she managed quietly; too quietly to reach the audio feed.

"The Princess can find Black and this goon later, she's connected to-! Wait, what?" Lance frowned in confusion, arching his neck to observe the Princess.

"I…think we should hear him out," her voice cracked.

"You're not worried he'll cart you off to some Unilu swap meet?"

"Those aren't _really_ a thing anymore, Lance-"

"I thought we decided he wasn't a space pirate anyway?" Hunk chimed in with a calmness Allura envied. "I think you're forgetting the part where he's the Black Paladin and at some point we're going to have to, you know, bond with him to save the universe?"

Pidge and Hunk stared at one another, some non-verbal communication passing through a series of eyebrow twitches; eventually, Pidge rolled her eyes.

"_You do know the channel is still open, right?_" the man in Black drawled.

"Yes," Pidge murmured to the screen, flashing Allura a concerned glance. "Okay, you give us your name, and we'll…land somewhere to talk. But we're not far enough away from Quabyss yet; it won't take long for the Galra to track us. Just…follow us for now. We'll go somewhere…neutral. Copy?"

The reply came after a considerable pause. "_Copy,_" he seemed resigned. "_Call me Shiro._"

Pidge stared at the controls and scowled. "What," she deadpanned.

"Great. It was really nice talking to you Shiro!" Hunk called hastily as Pidge killed the connection.

"I think that went well," Hunk smiled, dusting his hands off. "Sounds like a reasonable guy."

"Yeah, I mean, he didn't open fire on us," Lance eased off on the controls and put his feet on the dash. "That's a win, for us."

Pidge swiped up a star chart and frowned at it thoughtfully. "This feels like a trap. Whoever that _really_ was-"

"Yeah but you think everything's a trap," Lance scoffed.

"That's because everything _usually_ is. You sure you want to meet with this guy, Princess?" Pidge hazarded.

Allura's focus shifted from the vastness beyond the screen to the Green Paladin. She wasn't sure of…anything, so she fell back on a technique she had seen diplomats use during her time at Lotor's side. "What is your main concern?" Allura asked gently.

Pidge's brows furrowed and she shook her head. "Nothing, it's just - I knew a Shiro, once."

"Oh come _on_, this isn't _that_ Shiro-"

"I didn't mean _that_," Pidge held up her chin, her expression schooled. "It can't be him. I meant," she took a deep breath and met the Princess' eye. "This guy could know everything about us. Enough at least to know the name of the man last seen with my brother and father, and…I just. Dunno. This feels off."

Allura was still missing too much to tie Pidge's concerns together. "If he does mean you harm," she started cautiously, "why would he warm us by using a name from your past that you would instantly recognise?"

Pidge shrugged. "To psyche me out?"

"Or maybe this isn't about your vendetta and he really is called Shiro?" Lance pointed out.

"I wouldn't call it a _vendetta _exactly-" Hunk winced.

"No, I'm good with vendetta," Pidge growled. "If this _Shiro_ thinks my missing family is a joke, he'd better prepare to die!"

"It's just a name! I've met like, seventy Lance's since we left Earth."

The reminder of their homeworld - the same world Takashi had come from - was like a blow to the chest, and Allura took a tick to collect herself, closing her eyes and pressing her back to the smooth, cool wall.

_Will the man in Raven kill us_, she let slip to Azure?

A reply came at once; certain and calm. _Protect_. The lion expressed her discomfort; an impression of Zarkon's betrayal of Raven flickered through Allura's mind.

_I will protect you and Raven_, she assured. _No matter what else befalls us, _she added with a regret for Ruby thick in her throat.

Azure encircled her mind, but the fresh firestorm clouding Pidge encouraged Allura to open her eyes and regard her captors. Charges. Whoever these three humans were to her now.

"I feel like we're getting a little off topic here," Hunk held out his hands, placating.

"I'm gonna ask him," Pidge held out a finger as she stared at Hunk to make her point. "I know. This isn't about me."

"But you're going to ask him anyway?"

"I'm going to ask him anyway."

"You do whatever you gotta do, just remember why we're out here, okay?"

"I know," she lowered her head but sideways-glanced at Allura. "Save the Princess."

"What if he's a bounty hunter? Just shoots us and _wham_!" Lanced added helpfully.

"He's not going to shoot us! We're his Paladin buddies."

"We'll take precautions," Pidge sighed, shaking herself a little. "But we might not think of everything. We don't know who we're dealing with - regardless of what he's calling himself."

"It is all right," Allura decided quietly. "If I am taken against my will, Raven will not allow any harm to come to me."

"Raven?" Pidge echoed.

"The Black lion."

"Like…it's name?"

"Wait, the lions have _names_?"

"Green never told me her name," Pidge frowned thoughtfully.

"Yeah, neither did Blondie."

"Blondie _is_ a name."

"Yeah, but it's more a _nick_name-"

"I am not certain they have names in any common language," Allura intervened. "The names I call them by are impressions of the colours they showed me when I asked what to call them…before I knew who or what they were, when I was first learning how to communicate through the Castle's quintessence."

"You mean re-learning," Pidge countered regretfully. "According to Coran, you should have always been able to do all that."

Allura glanced down to her slippered feet, uncertain of how to process _that _weighty truth just yet.

"So what do you call the Blue lion?" Lance asked, sitting up eagerly.

"Azure," Allura found a smile, running her fingertips down the nearest smooth white panel; Azure's reply stroked her mind, amused by all the chittering after so long in darkened silence.

Allura couldn't help but laugh a little at the madness of this change, too. Vargas ago she had been dreading another party spent with Lotor stroking her arm as though she were a pet _tiegr_ and the subsequent departure from Quabyss - but now?

She was on a ship - no, she was travelling through the stars with _Azure_. She felt tired, but alive, for the first time since Takashi had kissed her goodbye that night on the farm.

Perhaps it was something about humans, she mused. Perhaps without a home world of their own any more, they carried enough hope within to be shared amongst the lost.

"Azure, neat," Lance commented. "Also where am I flying us to?" he added idly.

—

It was early afternoon on the side of Jyngl they landed; Lance set her down in a pool of crystal-clear water that had looked like molten gold from above. The lakes were the only areas not clogged with foliage and Azure purred in Allura's mind, overcome with satisfaction when her metallic paws touched it. She had missed the water, it seemed.

They stepped out into the wilds Pidge had originally found the Green lion in. It was like nothing Allura ever remembered seeing; the Quabyssian forests were positively domestic by comparison. The golden sun angled through the high branches and made the newest leaves glow, and there was life _everywhere_; colossal trees hosting all manner of fluttering insects, chrome-coloured fish darting around her toes as she pushed toward the bank. The only structures were ancient, carved from stone and overcome by vivid, tangling creepers, brimming with tiny, star-shaped pink flowers. Trees crowded the lake, their roots and vines drooping elegantly to drink their fill beside a flock of _hwyaden_-like creatures with yellow bills and soft, orange-tipped feathers.

It was _enchanting_.

A _boom _broke the serenity and Allura ducked, glancing up in time to see the Black lion streak across the sky.

"Wow," Hunk's eyes were on the descending ship. "She is…_so_ big. So so big."

"Yeah, well it's not the size-"

"Don't finish that sentence."

"All I'm saying is-"

"_Lance_."

Allura phased out the bickering and tracked the approach of…Raven. That - that great metal ship was _Raven_, the one who had sheltered and wrapped her mind in sympathy and comfort whenever days were at their dimmest for…deca-phoebs. And someone - someone _else_ was flying her, someone Allura didn't know, and didn't trust. For some inexplicable reason, that felt _wrong_; it was _her _duty to protect-

No, _no_ \- she had to remember what Azure had said, what Hunk kept reminding the others - _Raven_ had chosen someone.

The Black lion circled their space, descending ever-closer until it's great form ducked below the tree line, sending flurries of leaves and dust up in its wake.

Allura's eyes narrowed. The humans had said the last pilot Raven had chosen was Zarkon, and he had betrayed her. That meant the lions, as vast as they were, could be fooled.

The others were still squabbling like _alarchs_ when Allura tuned in to the human chatter.

"Yeah, in your _nightmares_. So, what's the game plan, Princess?"

Allura blinked at an eager-looking Lance. "This is no game."

"Yeah, I know, I mean - what do we say to him?"

"I want to know why he pursues me," Allura's gaze returned to the tree line, watchful for movement that didn't involve feathers and leaves. Raven's engines were powered down; no more debris flew above the canopy. "And I believe Pidge has some questions for him as well."

She caught the swift, grateful look from the young woman and gave her a brief, tight smile. "You have told me some of my past. Perhaps this man who flies Raven knows more about…both of ours."

"Thank you," Pidge murmured.

"Or he works for Lotor and has been sent to kill us all," Lance drawled.

"Perhaps," Allura conceded.

A palpable pause settled, and Pidge finally broke it. "What _do_ we do if this is a trap?"

"It's not a trap," Hunk assured. "We're gonna save the universe with this guy, remember?"

"That depends on the outcome of our conversation," Allura stood taller, mustering what dignity she could in a night shift and robe, her hair a frizzing, tangled cloud; a product of their frantic escape and Jyngl's humidity. "It will do us no favours to speculate over fantasy."

"Er, except it will, it's called a _plan_-"

"What if he just blasts us to smithereens and snatches you?"

"C'mon guys, what if he's our ally? He didn't shoot at us in space, right?"

"Maybe he didn't want to hurt his quarry! We should hide the princess and talk with this goon first-"

"Agreed - leave him to me," Pidge squared her neck and rolled her shoulders.

Allura ground out a sound of frustration and turned on the threesome, eyes flashing. "That is enough! You are as quarrelsome as a pack of _geifr_! However did _you_ infiltrate the Castle of Lions without being caught at once?"

"Because we _planned_ that-"

She turned back to the tree line, blood pumping loud and fast through her ears as she cut Lance off. "Stand behind me, all of you. If he means anyone harm, he will have to go through me," she grumbled. "And if he has orders to capture me, he will not shoot."

"Hey, that's not how a rescue is supposed to work-!"

"_None_ of this is how a rescue is supposed to work," Allura snapped.

Beyond them, the sounds of boots cracking twigs in the undergrowth made the tips of her ears twitch. She motioned for the others to draw behind her. "Hurry. We are out of time."

Pidge looked distinctly uncertain - Hunk, uncomfortable - and Lance stuffed his hands in his pockets as he slunk into position, grumbling. Allura let out a sigh of relief once they were all in place, shielded by her outstretched hands.

The man who had been flying Raven did not try to mask his approach, though it was his mask she first saw. It was a black helmet covering his entire face with two glowing, purple lights positioned where the eyes would be and a series of slashes either side where cheeks would go. Below the not-face was a body, tall and strong, covered head to toe in a grey bodysuit and black plate armour offset with more lines of the same, glowing purple.

Allura's heart twisted with painful recognition; she had heard of this armour and what it meant, and the humans confirmed it in a rush of hushed voices.

"Holy _crow_, he's _Marmora_."

"Huh, so guess it kinda is space pirates!"

"Shut your quiznak and _move_, we gotta get her outta here!"

"Yeah, I'm _really_ not sure you're using that word correctly, Lance-"

"No, but guys - this could be our chance to forge an alliance with the _Blade of Marmora_! Think about it for a sec-!"

Their whispers continued - strained, hissed squabbles and protests - but Allura heard none of it. Her eyes were pinned to the approaching form and a fire ignited, pouring through her veins like molten rock.

"No more chatter, Paladins. Ready your weapons," she told them, deadly calm. "Now."

The humans stilled; she felt their curious uncertainty for a tick, but then they obeyed. To their credit, they did not question her stance. With dull pulses of green, blue and yellow light, their Paladin weapons materialised and were raised.

She assumed. She had no will to check; her eyes remained glued to her pursuer. The Blade of Marmora were after her. The organisation responsible for _his_ death were after her.

"That is close enough," Allura commanded, her voice stiff with repressed fury.

He looked up, and through the hideous mask, he found her, and stilled. "_Princess,_" his voice was distorted by the creepy black headgear. It _hadn't_ been the feed causing it.

She had to force back a snarl and bit her tongue to keep from growling. A part of her, a vivid and precious part of her had _died_ the day they had taken his life. How _dare_ they come before her now?

From behind her, Hunk peered, slinging an _enormously _unsportsmanlike cannon over his shoulder to raise a friendly hand in greeting. "Hey, Shiro wasn't it? Hunk Garrett, we spoke over comms-?"

"Shut your _quiznak_, Hunk!"

"Take aim, but await my order to fire," she told the humans. Her scowl was focussed entirely on the man only…three tree trunks away from them and Allura's stone-cold command silenced the rest.

"_Let me explain_," with his hands raised in surrender, he took another tentative step.

"I said that's close enough," Allura repeated quietly, faltering a half-step back as she lowered her arms. Her charges were armed. Their weapons were aimed at him. She wanted him to see that.

The man in black froze.

Her practised diplomacy formed her words, though they were delivered with hostile steadiness. "Up there, when you agreed to stop chasing us," she nodded briefly to the sky. "You led us to believe an arrangement might be made?"

"_I did say that, didn't I?_"

Allura huffed in disbelief at the hint of scorn to his tone. How _dare_ he? "The Blade of Marmora don't negotiate."

"They don't take prisoners, either," Pidge chimed in dryly.

Allura let her have that one, but threw her a sharp, sideways look; Pidge's eyes were hard, fixed on the man in black, her katar steady.

_"The Blades have a reputation, I get that," _he lowered his hands, then held them forward as though taming a wild animal. _"But we need your help, and I'm running short on time. Can we talk or not?"_

"You believe I will assist you, after all you have done?" Allura replied cooly.

"_None but the rich have the privilege of choice._"

Allura laughed hollowly as tears of desperation stung her eyes. "Don't pretend there is no choice between killing and letting one live! You might have tricked Raven but you will not trick me."

_"Why did you bring me here if you don't want to hear my side?_"

"To learn the truth," Allura barked. "You will answer our questions, and then you will let us leave, or you _will_ be shot."

"_There are worse fates than being shot_," his shoulders fell and he sighed into his mask. "_Look, I'm not going to fight you, Allura. If that is what you wish, then - I'll just go_."

Allura's heart stilled; something about the way her name rolled off his tongue, even with the distortion was…familiar. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you say?" she whispered.

"You'll stay where you are until you've answered my questions," Pidge spoke up over Allura. "Why are you wearing a mask? Don't want us to see who you really are, _Shiro_?" she snarked.

The mask's purple dots shifted to her; he physically startled back. "_Oh my god_…_Katie?! Katie Holt?!_"

Pidge let out a string of words Allura assumed were human curses and lowered her weapon. "How is this happening?" she clenched her eyes closed.

Movement caught her eye and Allura's attention shot back to the man in black in time to see him lift the helmet from his head. It thudded down, its impact softened by the carpet of leaf litter underfoot.

"Sorry, I forgot I was wearing that. It's actually really comfortable."

"Holy crow, you're _Shiro_," Lance accused, pointing wildly with a long finger. "You're - _our_ Shiro. From Earth."

"You know him, too?" Hunk whispered.

"Yeah, this guy was like my _hero_ at the Garrison."

Allura sank to her knees, barely registering the damp undergrowth soaking through her night clothes. He had changed - but he was still - _undeniably_ -

"Takashi?" she whispered.

"Wait - does _everybody_ know him?" Hunk stuttered.

The corner of Takashi's mouth rose, his expression tentative and guilt-ridden and apologetic all at once and - his eyes were filled with tears. "Hi, Princess," he tried again, then cleared a roughness from his throat.

She couldn't blink; she couldn't _breathe_. She stared at him - eyes flickering over the familiar and foreign; the face was older, harder, weathered but free of stubble. There was a thick streak of white in his hair and a long scar across the bridge of his nose and - those _eyes_ \- an ocean in a storm, unfathomably soft but so tired, and she was _drowning_ -

"Is this…somebody's idea of a joke?" Allura choked.

"It's not," he closed the last distance between them and dropped to his knees to hold her arms - hold her up. "I promise you," he murmured softly. "It's - I'm still me. Most of me. I came back as soon as I could. Why didn't you wait for me?"

Allura looked at him through a blur and gripped his forearms as her tether to reality - his armour was too solid and cold under her hands, she wanted to touch him, his skin, to be certain he was real. She had - _so _many questions but when she opened her mouth, her bottom lip quivered and all she could say was, "You were dead."

"Yeah, but," Takashi let out a huff and pressed his forehead to hers. "In your orbit, remember? Not even death could stop me."

Allura bit her bottom lip to keep her tears at bay and he laughed softly, caught in some moment of disbelief of his own. Then his gloved fingertips were on her cheek, his thumb brushed her marking and - she leaned up, but hesitated when he caught his breath. She searched his eyes for that bright hope, his love for her when he'd only been able to tell her '_As you wish_'. It was there, but with his love swam shadows of hard-won wisdom and relentless fear and regret.

They needed words, but that meant they needed time, more than they had at this moment. Watching him closely, she found his lips for a gentle kiss that asked for nothing more than permission.

He answered with a choked-off sound of relief and thread his fingers through Allura's hair, tilting his head to kiss her more soundly.

"Oh - _oh_, so _this _is how you know our Shiro?!"

She took no notice of Lance, or any other commentary - and neither did he. She poured herself into the kiss, the deca-phoebs of grief and longing, and his grip on her tightened as he kissed her back with a desperation to rival her own. Her chest ached - wonder and confusion fought, deep within her. A trembling exhale passed her lips as he withdrew, leaving her breathless. All she could do was stare.

Pidge took her moment in the ensuing silence. "Where are my dad, and Matt?"

_Sam and Matt, _Allura dimly recalled as Takashi's perplexed gaze left her to settle on the young woman. _He left to find them. Lotor said…_

_All lies._

He blinked; his eyes focussed properly. "I have some leads, but nothing concrete," Takashi was saying with that measured efficiency she remembered. "It's all back at the base."

Pidge gave him a determined nod. "Let's go. I have some leads of my own, we can pool our resources."

"Sure," he said warmly with a small shrug. "I'd be happy to. Look - I had - _no_ idea you were out here, Katie, but - perhaps I should have guessed?" he smiled crookedly. "Green Paladin, huh?"

"Yeah, well," Pidge - or Katie? - grinned proudly through a flush. "You're one to talk, Black Paladin."

"Hey, I just _got_ my lion-"

"Wait," Lance insisted swiftly, dismissing his Paladin gun with a flick of his wrist and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Why didn't you just tell us who you were, man? Why the chase and hostility? We'd have stopped for you."

"Over comms?" Shiro arched an eyebrow. "Better to play it safe, when anyone could be listening. And it's better for everybody if the Galra think I'm dead."

"Why?" Allura asked, her voice gravelly, the single word weighty between them. "What happened to you?" she tried to swallow again; the lump in her throat prevented it.

"Yeah, how'd you end up with the Blade of Marmora? You're as human as we are, they only work with other Galra."

"And how'd you know the Black lion would let you pilot her?"

"Are you kidding?" Lance fired up. "The Shiro I remember could pilot _anything_."

Takashi - _Shiro_ \- shook his head. "Those are all _really_ long stories we don't have time for right now. The Galra _will_ follow us. Together we have four Voltron lions _and_ the lost Princess of Altea. We need to leave. Will you…may I?" Shiro asked Allura quietly, offering his hand. "The Black lion...she um…she wants to see you're all right. Pretty insistent about it, if I'm honest," he glanced to the carpet of leaves at their feet and laughed.

She nodded, her heart bursting with joy. She had too many questions and deca-phoebs of misplaced anger toward the Blade of Marmora would need resolving, but he would not say they needed to get moving if it wasn't true.

"Follow us in Azure," Allura told the others quietly, her gaze never leaving Takashi's face.

"Sure, sure," one of the Paladins said.

"I would like to…meet Raven properly, too," she offered him a small smile.

He smiled back, and the bright relief in his eyes pierced the shadows that had shrouded her heart since the news of his death had arrived on Quabyss.

"As you wish," he murmured.

She laughed quietly and took his hand.

—

The humans were happy enough to leave her with Takashi. They knew him - they trusted him.

Allura marvelled at the serendipitous nature of _all _of them being reconnected in this way. She had given up on the universe when he had been taken from her - but now he was _alive_, and everything she had thought she'd known was being questioned.

In turn, she could have sat and questioned him all day - but Takashi said they were short on time, so she did her best to keep up with him as they made their way to where Raven was waiting.

"Why do they call you Shiro?" Allura asked shyly, swinging her legs over a fallen tree and cursing as her robe snagged on a broken branch.

He helped unhook the fabric, smiling softly as he worked. "It's what most people called me, back on Earth. It's a nickname, short for Shirogane - my family name. Nobody's called me Shiro in - a _long_ time. The Galra didn't take that name from me so I knew I could give it, even if they were listening in on us - but I didn't think for a second anybody in the Blue lion would recognise it."

She placed her hands on his shoulders as his fell to her waist, and he swung her down from the fallen tree with a _whoosh_ that left her heart racing. When she stood, her slippered feet caught the hem of her robe, and she stumbled.

He laughed softly; "Are you okay?"

She gripped his shoulders and leaned toward him to untangle her feet as memories of that first ride together on her _ceffyl _flooded back like a wave crashing to shore. Once she was steady, her gaze inevitably found his, and again, she couldn't stop staring. "Are you?" she managed quietly.

He smiled, the warmth marred by a brief flash of sadness in his eyes. "I am, now we are together."

"What happened to you, Takashi?" she whispered, hand unconsciously rising to brush the scar across his nose and cheeks. It was old; it must have been given to him…deca-phoebs ago.

He stilled, was watchful, but he let her fingertips glance the scar without flinching. Her gaze flickered up, to the white in his hair; down, to his armour-covered form. He was the same, but - he had been changed, too. He seemed taller, and his arms and shoulders were firmer than she remembered them being - no longer slim muscles covered by baggy farm clothes - he was more honed with ready tension.

"The Galra," she swallowed, both fearing and needing to know. "They hurt you."

The corner of his mouth lifted ruefully; an attempt at a smile. "Sometimes, yeah."

"They hurt you, because of _me_," she choked out.

His brow furrowed and his hands gripped her waist a little surer. "You're not to blame for what they did to - to both of us. They stole your entire _life, _Allura. God, when I found out I wanted to-" he cut himself off, glancing up swiftly to blink at the trees. "It's in the past," he sighed, almost to himself.

It would have been too easy to disagree with him; to lament over her lack of clarity and the time they had lost, or her ability to throw off Lotor's web of deceit and realise the trap she had led Takashi into.

Allura had blamed herself for his death for - _forever _\- and she was so used to taking the easy path, without the will to care beyond moping and longing for something that could never be returned to her. If she had only realised - had she questioned, rather than idled - she could have been looking for him, all this time. She could have _saved_ him. But-

_It's in the past. _He _had_ returned. Her Takashi stood before her, alive and whole - and the sight of him filled the emptiness with hope that the universe might need her after all.

So she simply nodded. "As you wish. Let's go."

He seemed grateful and took her hand. As they walked on, he gave her 'the short version' of what had happened, after they had parted.

"I did actually just about make it to Galra command," he said. "But - there was an attack, a few days out. It was made to look like the Blade of Marmora were responsible - I was knocked out, during the fight," he rubbed a knuckle across the scar. "The next thing I know, I'm in a Galra prison."

Allura pursed her lips. "Did they say why they locked you up?"

He shook his head. "Nobody said anything. They threw me in the arenas. Made me fight for their amusement. They didn't expect me to be good at it. That's when the Empress came for me."

Allura's stomach clenched; there was _more, _something worse than being made to fight for entertainment?

"She - I don't know. Took a liking to me. Experimented on me. Her scientists - they replaced one of my arms with a manufactured one, to make me a better fighter-"

"They _took _your _arm-?!_" Allura's eyes fell to his hands, trying to figure out which was the prosthetic as outrage poured through her.

"It's this one," he held up his right hand and tugged off the glove with his teeth - his left hand was holding hers, and he didn't seem to want to let go for anything. He wiggled the metallic fingers a little…uncertainly.

Allura stopped staring at it to meet his eyes. "They will pay for what they have done, I swear it."

"Yeah," he turned back to their path and brushed a creeper aside so they could step into a clearing; Raven's enormous paw was before them. "I was angry about it for a long time, too. But - without it I would never have gotten out of that place, so in a way, maybe I should thank them-"

"Do _not _thank the Galra for _taking_ your _arm_."

"It's okay," he shot her a sideways glance. "We're going to stop them."

He pushed on with his story. He had made alliances with the right people, eventually. They had helped him to escape - to find _their _people, and smuggled them some information through the Galra arm. It turned out his friend - a kid he had mentored, back on Earth - was half-Galra, and belonged to the Blade of Marmora - and they had been reunited. Since then, he had been working with the Blades, and in his spare time, trying to find out what happened to Matt and Sam, and trying to find a way to free her from Lotor.

He spoke of it with a shallow detachment that left Allura feeling hollow and nauseous. She stopped, Raven's lion-jaw towering high above them, and flung her arms around his waist, blinking back more tears. "I'm…_so_ sorry, Takashi. Can you ever _truly_ forgive me for-"

"Hey," he laughed, holding her close and resting his cheek on the top of her head. "It's over now."

"But they will come after us," Allura leaned back to gaze at him mournfully. "They will pursue us across the universe. We will never be able to stop running-"

"Allura," he lifted a hand - his left, the flesh-and-blood hand, cradling her cheek in gentle reassurance. "Then we will run, until we have the strength to fight back. I won't let them seperate us again. We know their game now. We have - allies, friends who are all working to overthrow them. And hey, we have the Black lion, three Paladins of Voltron, _and _the Blade of Marmora on our side," he smiled, a spark of hopeful confidence in his eyes. "Those are better odds than most."

Raven lowered her jaw and opened her mouth - a staircase descended. Shiro took her hand again, and led her onboard.

"Here she is," he offered, his metal hand making contact with the side panel, his finger drifting along as they ascended. "The Black lion. Decisive head of Voltron. Raven, is it?"

Allura nodded, eyes wide as she made contact and let Raven's bright quintessence fill her.

_Welcome, sister. I see you have found my Paladin._

_Raven, _she sighed with relief. _I see you have found my Takashi, _Allura countered, joy sparkling in her mind like fireworks. _You could not have chosen better._

Raven purred in Allura's thoughts. _In a sense, you chose him for me. The shape of my Paladin has always been with me. I only had to wait for his form on its linear journey to align with my memory of him._

Allura winced. _I think I understand. I - am sorry, for making you all wait, for so long. And Ruby, she is still waiting. Had I realised-_

_Ruby's Paladin will come, or you will come in their stead, for you are the heart under which we unite. Ruby knows this, she is merely - impatient for time to catch up and for her turn to come. _

Takashi laughed uneasily by her side as they reached the top of the staircase.

"That's - _really_ strange. I can hear you talking to her, I think," he was amused - but also seemed a little nervous.

"She is a dear, old friend," Allura replied with a teasing smile, squeezing his hand. "You could not have chosen better."

—

Two dots blipped steadily on the dashboard of the cloaked cruiser, one pale blue, the other purple-white.

"_Targets locked, sire. Do we open fire?_"

"No," Lotor murmured thoughtfully, glancing up to watch the distant lions streak away from the jungle planet and into the black.

"_Sire, they have the Princess - our scans indicate she is alive-_"

"I said hold your fire, Zethrid."

"_Copy. What are your orders?_"

"We follow them," he glanced down, flicking the switch to turn his cruiser from idle to manual controls. "Let them lead us to their hidden base, and we can wipe their scourge from the universe."

"_And the Princess?_"

"We will naturally intercept before anything…regrettable happens to my dear Allura," he lied with a smirk.

This was working out even better than he could have imagined.

* * *

_A/n: why yes, I have bitten off more I can chew with this challenge but I'm frankly having too much fun to stop trying. _

_This chapter has been done for…aaaaages, but fell pray to a long bout of uncertainty and second-guessing during multiple editing phases. I'm at the point where I have to put it up and hope, or trash it and start again. _

_Scream at me in the comments, on tumblr, wherever you want._


End file.
